B

Laurie O’Connel
12 Pins Press, London
www.twelvepinspress.com

© 12 Pins Press, 2024 – All rights reserved

Written by Laurie O’Connel

Additional text by Kayla Dice, Yanahn (Kristen) & wendi yu
Edited by Samantha Leigh
Art by Hodag
Layout by Luke Earl

Printed in United Kingdom

First Edition

C
D
CONTENTS
Introduction 1 Appendices 50

You Will Need 2 Examples of Play 51

Game Roles 3 Items 57

Dice Rolls 3 Names 59

Safety Tools 4 Secrets 60

Touchstones 4 More Secrets 61

Playing the Game 5 Arenas 63

Player Principles 6 The Examination Hall 65

Creating a Competitor 7 The Conrad Open Hospital 81

Example Competitors 10 The Urban Maw 95

Rules of Play 11 The Oppression Olympics 113

Player Activities 19

Running the Game 23

Game Master Principles 24

Starting the Game 25

Using the Game Elements 31

Arena Moves 37

Example Arena Moves 40

Showdowns 41

Competitor Archetypes 44

E
 Death Game is a tabletop role-playing
INTRODUCTION
game. This means the rules are here to
structure your play experience, but
they are not as rigid as a board game.
You need to use your imagination to
fill in the blanks with your own
story. If the rules of this game do
not account for something, that
means the answer has to be
drawn from your own creativity
and decision-making.

1
 YOU WILL NEED
█ Between three and six friends, enemies or acquaintances.

█ The core game contained within these pages.

█ The Arenas booklet if you want to play a

pre-made scenario.

█ The Arena Board, or a large, blank sheet of paper.

█ An almost full set of polyhedral dice – that means a

four, six, eight, ten, and twelve-sided die, henceforth
referred to as D4, D6, D8, D10 and D12. You don’t
need a twenty-sided die to play.

█ Plenty of pens, pencils and notepaper.

█ Between two and six hours, depending on the

pace of your group.

2
 GAME DICE
ROLES ROLLS
You and your friends will take An element of chance is intro-
on different roles throughout duced to the game whenever
the game. a PC attempts an action
which has an uncertain
outcome. The player rolls
█ Players inhabit individual dice to see if their character
competitors in the game, pursuing their succeeds or fails. This
own goals and using their unique skills to process is described fur-
try to survive. The characters you play are ther in the section on
called Played Competitors (PCs). Skill Checks (page 11).

█ Game Masters (GMs) narrate what is

going on in the world and control Non-
played Competitors (NPCs). They react to
the PC’s actions, adjudicate between PCs and
introduce new challenges and elements into
the story. There can only be one Game Master
at a time.

Death Game is played with a rotating Game

Master. When a PC dies, their player becomes
the new GM. The previous GM plays as one of
the previously established NPCs, turning them
into a PC.

3
TOUCH- SAFETY
STONES TOOLS
Death Game is based on the Battle Death Game is an intense game
Royale or Death Game fictional designed to enable violence,
genre, where a group of people betrayal and murder, including
are brought into a lethal between PCs. Use safety tools of
competition and forced to kill your choice at the table and, most
each other until one remains importantly, have a conversation
victorious. Popular examples with your fellow players before you
include Battle Royale, The start. Consider using reference
Hunger Games and Squid Game. material like the TTRPG safety
Use these as inspiration for toolkit by Kienna Shaw and Lauren
your world’s game. Bryant-Monk.

Play with care towards each other,

your characters, and the terrible
situation the PCs have found
themselves in. Ask yourselves the
question: is our game about the brutal
violence people can do to each other to
survive, or the tiny moments of hope we
can snatch from the mouth of despair?

4
 "WHEN WE WERE KIDS, WE
WOULD PLAY JUST LIKE
THIS, AND OUR MOMS
WOULD CALL US IN FOR
DINNER. BUT NOBODY
CALLS US ANYMORE."
SANG-WOO (SQUID GAME)

5
 PLAYER
PRINCIPLES
█ CARE ABOUT YOUR CHARACTERS.
But be prepared to lose them. Try to make
every last moment count.

█ DON’T GET MAD, GET EVEN.

If another player at the table, or the GM, or
random chance screws you over, remember
that it is all part of the game. If your PC
dies, you get to be the GM and turn it right
back around.

█ KEEP THINGS MOVING.

Death Game is fast paced, and relies on
drama and high stakes to keep the
story going. Take risks and follow
your instincts.

█ BE AN ACTIVE OBSERVER.
When you are not actively part of
the scene, watch, listen to and even
interact with the unfolding events.
Remember, you could be running
the game in a few minutes.
And the spectacle is all for
your entertainment.

6
 Character creation in Death Game is a
CREATING A COMPETITOR
relatively swift process. When you create a
competitor, you determine their:

█ NAME AND BACKSTORY

█ SKILLS

█ BACKGROUND SKILL

█ STARTING ITEMS

█ PERIL SCORE

Name and Backstory

Decide your competitor’s name and who they were
before they joined the game. Were you a teacher?
A student? A stockbroker?

You only need a few notes to begin. You can

add more details during the game for as long
as you continue to play as this competitor.

7
Skills
Each competitor has three skills which will help them survive the
Game: Violent, Smart, and Lucky. Distribute a D4, a D6 and a D8
between these skills. These are your Skill Dice. The higher the
die’s value, the better the competitor is at the skill.

When you roll a Skill Check, roll the Skill Die which relates to
the most relevant skill.

█ VIOLENT:
Use this skill for tests of physical strength, endurance and
combat. Examples: fighting off another competitor or guard,
forcing open the doors of an elevator, sprinting through
the wilderness.

█ SMART:
Use this skill for tests of cunning and intellectual
challenges. Examples: setting a trap, tracking another
competitor, decoding a puzzle.

█ LUCKY:
Use this skill where no other applies, or when you’re
relying on a coincidence or a Hail Mary to help you on
your way. Examples: finding a knife in the grass when you
really need a weapon, surviving a lethal blow, going through
the right door in a room where the wrong choice would kill
you instantly.

8
 Background Starting
Skill Items
Each competitor comes into the Every character starts with one
game with a unique set of Minor Item (page 57). You can
knowledge. Your character’s back- acquire more through the process
story comprises a skill that is unique of play.
to them. For example, a character
might have the skill Pickpocket When you roll a Skill Check and
or Metalworker. have an Item which can help, you
add a D4 to your roll.
This is their Background Skill. When
faced with a challenge that directly
corresponds to your competitor’s Peril Score
Background Skill, you may roll a D10
instead of your most relevant skill for Your Peril Score is set to zero
your Skill Check. when you start, and goes up
to twelve.
The Background Skill must be used for
actions which are specifically relevant
to it. For example, someone with the
Pickpocket Background Skill might use
their background for stealing an item from
someone, or sizing up a mark, but would
not be able to use it for any stealth-based
action whatsoever. A Metalworker could
employ their background whilst welding, or
attempting to melt a metal lock, but not for
crafting any item at all.

9
 From The Examination Hall

NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL

Alli Hayes: Prefect, Perfect, Privileged, Alli’s 0 0 / 12
family has always had great expectations for her. ITEMS
She’s had private tutors since she was learning
Pepper Spray
to read. When she got that rejection letter from

EXAMPLE COMPETITORS
Oxford, she knew she couldn’t bear going to
Durham instead. She’ll do anything to get that
coveted place. After all, she’s never lost anything
in her life.

SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL

Violent D6 Smart D4 Lucky D8 Politics D10

Because Alli is a school student, her favourite subject takes the

place of her profession for a Background Skill.

From The Conrad Open Hospital

NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL

Darcie Norton: It wasn’t life-threatening. It was 0 0 / 12

barely life-affecting. But it was unsightly, ITEMS
embarrassing, and brought shame on her family.
Bedpan
So they pressured her to sign up and have it
dealt with. Her family have complete faith
in Darcie’s ability to survive, but in the event
she doesn’t at least she died as she never
lived: pretty.

SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL

Violent D6 Smart D8 Lucky D4 Programmer D10
10
 Skill Checks
RULES OF PLAY
When you try something and the When you are acting
outcome is uncertain, roll a Skill on a Promise, you
Check. Decide which skill best can Boost your roll.
applies to your character’s action
and use that skill’s assigned die Skill Checks are
as the Skill Die, the main die you Difficulty Class (DC)
roll to make a Skill Check. based, which means
you pass if you roll
Before rolling the Skill Die, add above the assigned
any relevant bonuses: number. Meeting the DC
is still a failure, though
GM may give a sit-
█ If you are using an Item, uational advantage at
add a D4. their discretion. The usual
DC is 4, but the GM can
█ If you have the assistance raise it if the task is par-
of an ally, whether a player ticularly difficult. The DC is
character or an NPC, add a D4. announced before the Skill
The consequences of the Check is rolled.
action will also apply to
whoever provided assistance. All NPC Archetypes have a
set DC which corresponds to
their threat level (page 43).
Some abilities allow you to
Boost your roll. That means
you raise the level of your
Skill Die by one. A D4
becomes a D6, a D6 becomes
a D8, and so on.

11
Peril
Whenever you make a Skill Check, you and the GM decide together whether
the check is Perilous or Controlled.

Due to the dangerous nature of the Arena, most checks will be Perilous.

A check is Perilous if: A check is Controlled if:

█ Failing would obviously █ The competitor is acting with

cause harm to the competitor. overwhelming odds in their favour.

█ The competitor is taking a █ The competitor is acting on a

risk and is unprepared to deal well-thought-out plan, which they
with the consequences. have the correct resources and
circumstances for.
█ The competitor is acting at
the last moment or under fire. █ There are other
circumstances ensuring the
█ There are unforeseen dangers safety of the competitor.
or other hostile individuals in the
area the competitor has not
accounted for.

12
 Resolving a
Skill Check
When you make a Skill Check: Critical Success: If the player
rolled double the DC or higher,
they get a critical success. Not
1. The GM announces the DC. only do they accomplish what
they intended to, but they get an
2. The player rolls their Skill Die additional benefit. This could be
(Boosting it if relevant) and something tangible like finding an
adds the correct number Item or filling in a Clock, positional
of D4s relating to like gaining the advantage in a fight,
situational bonuses. or narrative like learning important
information or deepening an alliance.
3. The player adds together
the results of all the dice Success: If the player beats the DC, they
and announces the succeed. They do what they intended to
total result. and they don’t get hurt.

Failure: If the player fails to meet the DC,

they don’t achieve what they want.

If the check was Controlled, they can

abandon their attempt, or try again with a
Perilous check.

If the check was Perilous, something goes

wrong. The competitor might get hurt, lose an
Item, or make an enemy. They add one to their
Peril Score and roll a Death Save.

13
Opposed Death
Skill Checks Saves
If two PCs come into direct conflict Every PC has a Peril Score. This
with each other, they may make an starts at zero, and escalates over the
Opposed Skill Check. These are course of the game. It goes up by one
always Perilous. The choice to call every time you fail a Perilous check.
for an Opposed Check is at the
discretion of the GM. When you fail a Perilous check,
make a Death Save by rolling a
In this situation, both PCs make a Skill D12. You must roll over your Peril
Check, adding appropriate bonuses Score, or you die.
and advantages. The PC who rolls the
lowest fails and makes a Death Save.
The PC who rolls the highest succeeds.

If the loser rolls three or more lower

than the winner on their initial check,
they must roll a D8 rather than a D12 for
their Death Save.

If the PCs roll the same number, both

make a Death Save.

14
 Hero Points Social Encounters
If all players at the table How your competitor interacts with others
decide a PC has done is entirely reliant on role play and as such
something particularly heroic there is no relevant statistic. You choose.
or exceptionally cunning, that
competitor may be awarded a However, if your competitor wants
Hero Point (HP) which they something from another competitor,
can spend to escape an in- they must offer something up in
evitable death when they fail a exchange. This could be some food, an
Death Save. Item, intimacy, friendship, or the
promise of a connection outside the
When you spend an HP, narrate walls of the death game.
how your competitor narrowly
escapes with their life. Whoever is playing the other
competitor (whether the GM or
another player) decides if the offer
is good enough for the competitor
to offer help or alliance.

15
Promises
Some social encounters will put A Promise does not automatically
you in a situation where you can happen, only when it is nar-
make a Promise to another com- ratively appropriate.
petitor (whether a PC or NPC).
When you make a Promise, write
For example: it down on a piece of paper and
attach it to your competitor.
When you are acting to fulfil
█ When you make an alliance with this Promise, you Boost your
another competitor. Skill Die.

█ When you Take a Quiet Moment When a competitor dies, PCs

with another competitor. can choose if they want to
take on some or all of their
█ When you witness another Promises. Pass the paper to
competitor’s death. the player that takes on the
Promise, or destroy it. NPCs
█ When you bargain for your life with can adopt Promises from
another competitor. dead competitors in
exceptional circumstances.
█ When a competitor sacrifices themself When they act on that
for you. Promise, their DC is one
higher. If the NPC ever
becomes a PC, they keep
any Promises they
already have.

16
 Items Rations
OPTIONAL RULE
PCs start with one Item each, but
you can take Items from dead At the start of the game, the players
characters, or find them whilst and the GM decide if scarcity is a
playing the game. Items are factor in the Arena. If you need food,
usually rolled randomly when water, some kind of in-game currency,
found, unless their existence is or another limited resource, you can
predetermined in the game. track this using the Rations mechanic.
You can exclude Items that are
not suited to your setting Every competitor starts with D4
from random tables. Rations. They can find more by carrying
out specific Player Activities, trading for
Item tables can be found on them, receiving them as a reward for
page 57. completing Arena challenges, or by rolling
them on the Item Tables instead of a
regular Item.

Competitors must consume two Rations a

Day to remain functional.

If a PC spends a Day without Rations, they roll

every Skill Check with a D4 instead of their
other Skill Dice. If a PC spends two Days
without Rations, they die.

17
18
PLAYER ACTIVITIES
As your competitor spends time in the Arena, they can
choose to carry out different Activities. You can carry
out one Activity during each part of the Day (morning,
afternoon, evening, and night). Some Activities can only
be done at night.

Activities are used to prompt scenes and structure play.

They are not intended to completely limit your creativity.
Players wishing to do something not on the Activities list
should describe their idea to the GM and ask them to make
a ruling. The GM always decides how much danger your
competitor is in while you perform these Activities.

When you name an Activity, always explain how it occurs

and what your competitor is doing, and make it clear if
they have any resources or skills that could give them
an advantage.

19
Anytime
GATHER SUPPLIES FORTIFY A SPOT

Search for clean food or water if Create a hiding place or otherwise

scarcity is a factor in your game. If safe area.
you succeed, you can roll a D4 and
add it to your Rations. PREPARE FOR A CHALLENGE

INVESTIGATE Carry out preparations for a future

challenge or danger. Complex pre-
Find out a truth about your parations will often require a Clock
Location, the game as a whole, or and/or rare resources.
another competitor. Possibly find an
Item or Rations. HUNKER DOWN

MOVE If you have Fortified a Spot, hide in

it. You are protected from danger as
Move to a new Zone on the Arena long as you are not either being
Board. Moving always exposes you actively Hunted, or subject to an
to some risk. Arena Move which would negate
being hidden. Other competitors can

LOOK FOR TROUBLE find you by completing a Hunt.

Search out another competitor. If

they are easy to find, you meet
them instantly. If they are hidden,
you can start a Hunt instead.

20
 Night Only
TAKE A QUIET MOMENT

Take the Hunker Down move, and:

Take a moment of introspection, either

with another competitor or alone. You must
share an important truth with the group. If
the group deems it revealing enough, you may
reduce your Peril Score by one point.

MOVE UNDER THE COVER OF NIGHT

Move to another Zone on the Arena Board. Unless you

are successfully Hunted on this turn, you can move
completely safely.

GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Share an intimate moment with another competitor. You both

learn a secret about each other. You can also choose to make
Promises to one another, or trade.

21
 Hunts
Hunts are carried out against other
competitors when they are Hunkered
Down or otherwise protected.

Both PCs and NPCs can use Hunts.

To begin a Hunt, name your target and start a

four segment Clock.

Fill in one Clock segment every time you or an ally

successfully investigate your target’s Location.
When you complete the Clock, you immediately find
your target.

22
 As a Game Master (GM), you will describe the world around
the characters, and populate it with NPCs ready to kill and die
alongside the player characters.

In Death Game, everyone shares the GM’s duties – when a PC

dies, their player becomes the GM and the GM becomes a
previously established or new character.

Prepare for this by creating plot points, NPCs, Clocks, or new

Arena rules that the next GM can easily pick up and use. For
this task, use the Arena Board and plenty of note paper.

23
 GAME
MASTER
PRINCIPLES
█ KEEP THINGS MOVING.
In the Arena, something should always
be happening, and danger should always
be building.

█ KILL FAST, KILL OFTEN.

The characters will need to be
extremely ingenious to survive an
Arena full of people trying to kill them.
Whenever the PCs are not in mortal
danger, other characters should be.

24
 Setting
STARTING THE GAME
Taking turns around the table, players answer one question
each until all questions are answered.

1. Is the existence of the death game public knowledge,

or a secret to everyone but those who compete and
those who watch?

2. Where does the death game take place? A billionaire’s

private island? A walled enclosure? The middle of a
bustling city?

3. Who are the competitors in the death game? Can

people of any age or gender compete, or is it
limited to one group? If so, who? Teens? Women?
Criminals? Folks down on their luck?

4. Who are the game-runners? What do they wear?

Are they anonymous, or celebrities?

5. How do competitors get here? Are they victims

of an unlucky lottery, were they kidnapped, or
did they choose to compete? If so, why?

Through these questions, your table collectively

determines the social context and stakes of
your game.

25
Gimmicks
Most Arenas have a EXAMPLE GIMMICKS
Gimmick, something that
makes them unique. The Arena is…

The Gimmick is determined

by secret ballot. Every player █ Gradually flooding.
suggests one horrifyingly en-
tertaining backdrop for their █ An abandoned theme park.
death. Then everyone, including
the GM, votes by writing their █ A deserted supermarket.
favourite and passing paper slips
to the GM. █ Jurassic Park themed.

As the GM, you are under no █ Children’s game themed.

obligation to reveal the winning
theme until the players are in the █ Deep in the wilderness.
Arena. Use it to build suspense.
█ A panopticon.

26
 Arena Board Competitors
Next, prepare your Arena Board. Choose the starting number of
You can use the board that comes competitors. This number depends on
with the game, or any large sheet how long you want to play, and how
of paper. The Arena should be deadly you want the game to be.
large and divided into Zones. You
should have at least one Zone Between twenty-five to fifty competitors
per player. are recommended for ease of play. If you
start with fewer competitors, you need
The Arena Board is used to log to use fewer Cull and Cornucopia Arena
developments in the game as it Moves, which reduce numbers.
unfolds. Write down the time
of Day, how many competitors You should also create a handful of Named
are left in the game, important Competitors to start off within the game.
Locations, any active Clocks, Use the Competitor Archetypes as a base
and any named NPCs. and ask for the players’ input. You will add
more as the game progresses. You do not
need to name all competitors before playing.

27
Starting Play
When you have prepared the Arena Board
and are ready to start play, you should run
an introduction scene. Describe how your
competitors enter the Arena, and what the
Arena looks like.

Ask each player how their character is feeling at

the moment they enter the Arena. Then, throw
them into play.

It is recommended to immediately confront

characters with an Arena Move. The bloodier and
more chaotic the better. The task of the first
moments of play is to separate the PCs, introduce
confusion, and raise the stakes as much as possible.

From that point on, players can much more easily

drive the game forward by using Player Activities on
their turns to meet new NPCs, explore new Locations,
and find creative ways to kill and die. The GM should
build on the Player Activities by adding danger, twists,
and unexpected opportunities.

As the GM, you can use the Game Elements, all of which
are tracked on the Arena Board, to add more structure to
play and allow the GMs and players to rotate when a PC
dies. Play continues until a Showdown is reached.

28
29
30
 How To How to Use
USING THE GAME ELEMENTS
Use Zones Locations
Zones break down the Arena Important Locations should
into smaller Locations, and be marked on your Arena
give players an idea of where Board. If a Location is in
their PCs are in relation to other the same Zone as a com-
competitors and Locations. They petitor, they can reach it
can represent any type of space, easily. You can add new
from individual rooms in a building, Locations or alter pre-
to parts of a great forest, to existing ones as time
neighbourhoods in a city. goes on.

Zones usually have individual quirks

and individual dangers.

PCs can move from any Zone to any other

if they take the Move Player Activity.
Moving between Zones is usually dan-
gerous, as PCs are stepping into the
unknown. They won’t know who or what is
waiting for them in the next Location.

Sometimes competitors will be taken into new

Zones for narrative purposes at the discretion
of the GM, during challenges set by the game-
runners, or whilst Hunting down another
competitor. You can afford to be a little flexible with
this. Zones are a mental aid to help players
understand the space, rather than a rigid restraint.

31
How to
Track Time
Every death game is played over several
Days, each of which is divided into four
sections: Morning, Afternoon, Evening,
and Night.

In each part of the Day, the GM can take an

Arena Move, and each PC has the chance to
engage in one Activity. Some Activities can
only take place at Night.

It is important that you collectively keep a record

of the passage of time. This allows players to
understand which scenes are occurring sim-
ultaneously, and conceptualise the relationship
between Arena Moves and the rest of the story. It
also allows GMs and the group to make decisions
about Pacing.

Some Arenas may have specific challenges or

conditions which trigger during a certain part of the
Day, or after a certain amount of time has passed.

You can play for as many Days as are necessary to find a

winner, but most games take between three and five Days.

32
 How to
Use Clocks
A Clock is used to represent progress
and development. If a task cannot be
completed in one action, or an effect is
ongoing, you can use a Clock to track
completion or duration.

Clocks can symbolise time directly, such as a

four-segment Clock representing the four
parts of a Day, or can be more broad, such
as representing an accumulation of resources
or information.

For example, a group of competitors gathering

resources for an escape attempt could be
represented by a six-segment Clock, which is
advanced whenever they find a necessary Item or
gain important information. A forest fire that rages
through the Arena for an entire Day could be
represented by a four-segment Clock, advanced when
time moves on or if competitors find a way to fight
the fire.

Clocks should be written down and visible to all the

players. This makes it easier to continue story beats and
task progression when switching GMs.

33
How to Use
Non-Played Competitors
The PCs are not the only competitors in Named Competitors follow
the game – at least at first. Non-played different rules than PCs,
competitors (NPCs) come in multiple to keep play quick and easy.
variations – the easily disposed of, the These can be found in
lovable, and the absolutely terrifying. the Competitor Archetypes
section (page 43).
You will not have to name all the other
competitors immediately. Many will be When the GM rotates, the
killed before they have a chance to previous GM should choose a
make much of an impression. Named Competitor and convert
them into a PC.
The competitors who are not cannon-
fodder are Named Competitors.
These should be characters who
stand out as threats, potential allies,
or both. Named Competitors
should be kept note of and
attached to the Arena Board,
allowing players to keep track of
them and new GMs to make use
of pre-existing characters.

34
 Adding How to Track
Named NPCs Eliminations
In order to flesh out the Arena It is very important to keep track
without creating tens of competitors of how many NPCs are left in
to keep track of, you should create a the game. This is what allows you
handful of Named Competitors at to identify when it is time for
the start of the game. a Showdown.

More can be added during play. If On your Arena Board, mark a tally of
an unnamed competitor becomes competitors that have already been
important, they should become a eliminated. You can use this tally to
Named Competitor and be as- make decisions on how the game
signed an Archetype. should be paced.

35
Pacing Managing Scenes
As the game progresses and Competitors will spend a large amount of
the number of competitors time separated. Some scenes will include
dwindles, the way the Game only one or two PCs, while other players
Masters (both in and out simply sit and watch.
of fiction) control the game
will change. You can allow players to add to the
scene in other ways, such as making
In the initial phases, GMs should suggestions or running a non-played
make use of events and Arena competitor for a while.
Moves which kill a large number of
competitors quickly. This is the role
of Cull Moves. It is also completely
acceptable to kill a few unnamed
competitors ‘off-stage’, or in the
background of a scene with the PCs.

As the scope of the game narrows, GMs

should spend more time building up
dangers. Creating this suspense allows
remaining competitors to prepare for
upcoming challenges, strategise, and, most
importantly, Hunt each other.

Players should increasingly be the ones

driving the story forward. Individual NPCs
should also be coming into their own, being
given time to develop as characters.

36
 In every part of the Day, the GM
ARENA MOVES
can make an Arena Move.

The following list of Arena

Moves are suggestions that are
not intended to be limiting.
GMs should feel free to
come up with their own
Immediate, Introduction,
and Clock Moves.

The only limitation to

Arena Moves is that
they should not con-
trol the PCs directly.

37
Immediate Moves
CONFRONTATION CULL

A PC is forced into a confrontation with The Arena forces all competitors

one or more PCs or NPCs. into a challenge or confrontation
sure to kill a large proportion of

CORNUCOPIA them. Everyone must compete.

The Arena offers a deadly For every six remaining competitors,

opportunity. Competitors can choose roll one D6. Add the results to
to accept or refuse the offer, but determine how many competitors die.
those who accept (and survive) will Named NPCs always survive unless
get a large advantage. the PCs intervene. Whether or not
PCs survive depends on their skills
For every six remaining competitors, and reactions.
roll one D6. Add the results to
determine how many competitors PARLEY
decide to participate in the Cor-
nucopia. At least half of them should The Arena forces two or more
not survive. characters to work together to
achieve something.

38
 Introduction Clock
Moves Moves
COMPETITOR CREATURE

Introduce a (named) character The Arena releases a creature or

using one of the Competitor new challenge which can only be
Archetypes. They meet one of the evaded, not destroyed outright (a
PCs immediately. poison mist, a carnivorous monkey
swarm, a tidal wave). Describe

FACTION which Zone this creature or

phenomenon begins in, and how
Introduce a faction or alliance and long it will remain.
write it on the Arena Board.

ESCAPE
LOCATION
Some of the competitors team
Introduce a Location and write it on up to start planning an escape.
the Arena Board.

HUNT

Some of the competitors

team up and start planning to
pick off the competition.

PCs can be Hunted, or invited

to join the Hunting party. See
Hunt Rules in the Player
Activities section.

39
From The Examination Hall

█ DODGEBALL:
The Invigilators invite all competitors to play an intense
game of dodgeball. Participation is compulsory. Those

EXAMPLE ARENA MOVES

who cannot cross the room before being hit are
immediately ‘out’, meaning they’re dispatched with a
simple machine-gun to the head from turrets located
around the Stadium.

This is a variation on a Cull Move from the

core game.

█ HIDE AND SEEK:

A number of the competitors’ former
teachers are dispatched to hunt candidates
down and kill them. They have the best
possible equipment and pass from one
Zone to another with ease. The hunt lasts
for one Day.

This is a variation on a Creature Move

from the core game.

40
 When the number of
SHOWDOWNS
remaining competitors is
equal to the number of
players, a Showdown
begins. During a Showdown,
the slate is wiped clean. All
Hero Points are destroyed.
All characters must be con-
fined to the same scene.

There are no Death Saves. If a

character fails a Perilous check,
they die. They can choose to
abandon one of their Promises to
survive instead.

Nobody leaves the scene until only

one competitor lives.

Before starting the Showdown, ask

the players: What won’t you give up to
win?

After a PC dies during a Showdown,

ask the player: Is there anything you
regret?

After one character wins, ask the player:

What are you going back to, and was it
worth it?

41
 EXAMPLE SHOWDOWNS

█ A good old-fashioned fight in a closed room or area.

█ A game of hide-and-seek with a time limit.

█ A gambling or card game.

█ A lethal obstacle course.

█ A literal sudden-death exam.

42
43
 Every named NPC needs
three things:

█ A name

█ An Archetype

█ A secret

Name and Secret tables can be found on

page 60.

Archetypes are found below. Each

Archetype has a special ability and a DC.
The DC relates to the skill and/or threat
level of the competitor. When PCs make
Skill Checks against an NPC, they roll against
that DC.

44
 DC 4 Bitch Alert
The Bitch Alert is usually
introduced to the scene looking
absolutely stunning, perhaps
wearing leather, definitely sport-
ing a mean smirk. Sometimes it’s
nice to signal who’s going to be a
villain early.

Pretty Privilege: This competitor al-

ways has something (a skill, an Item, or
an advantage) that others desperately
need, guaranteeing them allies despite
their unpleasantness.

DC 5 Knife Pervert
The Knife Pervert always has a sharp knife,
or ten. They’re excellent at throw-
ing them. Sometimes they’ll even
lick them…

A Blade in the Dark: When you

fail a Perilous Check in close
proximity to this competitor,
you roll a D6 rather than a
D12 for your Death Save. It
does not matter if you’re
technically their ally.
Game Baby DC 4
The Game Baby is usually the
youngest in the game. They
have an impressive naïveté and
sweetness about them. They're
generally protected by at least one
stronger competitor.

Fridge: When the Game Baby dies,

every PC allied with them gains one
Hero Point.

Puzzle Legend DC 6
The Puzzle Legend has a brain like a
living sudoku. Full of numbers and
extremely efficient.

Nerd Brain: This competitor can

always solve a puzzle, regardless of
difficulty. They know everything
there is to know about games, at
least in the abstract. When
allied with the Nerd Brain, you
Boost your die when making a
Skill Check with Smart. They
can also figure important
things out independently.
 DC 6 Big Guy
The Big Guy is a physically
strong fellow with a heart of gold,
though often easily manipulated.
They'll usually show at least one
undue kindness to a PC on the
first Day.

For Hugging: When you make a

Promise to the Big Guy, you Boost your
Skill Die on all physical Skill Checks until
this competitor dies.

DC 6 Sly Strategist
The Sly Strategist thinks about the big picture,
not just immediate survival. They want to
learn as much about the game as possible,
and they're happy for other people to do
their dirty work for them.

Mastermind: The Sly Strategist is

always prepared for the next
Arena challenge. While allied
with them, you enter challenges
with significant advantage.
But beware. When this com-
petitor would die, they can
choose to sacrifice any one
ally instead.

47
Shady Lady DC 4
The Shady Lady will usually
introduce themselves as a former
magistrate, salesperson, teacher,
or something equally mundane, but
there's definitely something secretive
under that smooth exterior.

Easy Influencer: When allied with this

competitor, make a Lucky check every
Day [DC 4]. On a success, they manage
to procure something you desperately
need, but have absolutely no way of getting.
On a failure, they draw unwelcome attention
to your group.

Jerk Jock DC 5
The Jerk Jock is the bully of the Arena.
They’re big, brash, mean, and hard
to kill.

Killer Instinct: All Violent

checks against this com-
petitor fail unless narratively
made with absolutely over-
whelming force.

48
 "YOU HAD BETTER
NOT CALL ME EVIL. IF THERE
WERE SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE JUST
LIKE ME, THE EVIL ONE WOULD BE
YOU. YOU'RE LUCKY YOU'RE ON THE
SIDE OF THE MASSES."
49
NIRAGI (ALICE IN BORDERLANDS)
50
 Deciding a Setting
EXAMPLES OF PLAY
Tan, Joel, Ceara and The whole group then votes on a
Freddy are playing to- secret Gimmick for the island.
gether. They all love Battle
Royale (the film) so they Tan suggests the teachers are also
decide to use a sim- on the island, hunting the students.
ilar premise.
Joel suggests the island’s rain is
All four of them agree on a lethally acidic.
concept involving school
children (16-17 year olds) Ceara suggests the island is
from the same class, fighting covered in carnivorous plants.
for their lives on a secret island.
Freddy suggests a small group
Because they’ll be playing as of students has been given
children, they dedicate extra secret training and weapons
time to a safety discussion in order to win the game.
outlining the themes they do and
don’t want in their game. They The group votes in secret
decide collectively to exclude any and Freddy counts up the
sexual content, but they’re okay votes. The group voted
with any level of blood and gore. for Tan’s suggestion, but
Freddy doesn't reveal
They decide not to include an this yet.
X-Card in their game, instead agreeing
that if they want to change anything
about a scene, they will stop each other
and have a conversation about
potentially upsetting content.

51
Character Creation
Tan, Joel and Ceara are creating new The group agrees that the school
characters. Freddy starts off as the GM. is based in the USA, which aligns
with Kai’s backstory.
Tan creates a character called Kai.
They assign a D4 to Violent, a D6 to Ceara and Joel create characters,
Lucky and a D8 to Smart. Since too. Ceara wants to play Alberto, a
they’re playing as students, they sporty kid with a crush on Kai. She
decide to choose their competitor’s checks in with Tan about this idea,
favourite subject for their and they agree to it.
Background Skill. Tan picks
Chemistry for Kai. They roll a Joel wants to play Suzie, a rich ‘mean
starting Item and get a Torch. girl’ with a lot of fake friends. Joel and
Ceara both assign their skills, and
They explain to the group that prepare to set up the Arena Board and
they want Kai to be non- start the game.
binary. They describe them as
a nerd from a poor
background working hard to
get a college scholarship.

52
A Skill Check, a Death
Save and a Promise
At the end of the first Day, none of the PCs have yet died. Kai
is on their own, exploring a mysterious tower on the island
to look for resources. They choose Investigate from the list
of Player Activities. Tan explains to the group that they
have a torch, so they’ve waited to explore until the cover
of darkness, hoping this will give them an advantage.

Freddy describes how the tower looms up out of the

darkness. As Kai moves towards the tower and
turns on their torch, he asks Tan to make a Skill
Check to look out for dangers. He explains that
since Kai is stepping into the unknown, the
check will be Perilous, and the DC will be 4.

Since Kai is looking around, they roll with

their Smart skill, which is a D8. They add
an additional D4 for their torch. They
have no allies, but their chance of
success is very good.

Unfortunately, Tan rolls a two on the

D8 and a one on the D4. They have
failed their Skill Check, so Kai’s
situation is now very dangerous.
Freddy uses this as an
opportunity to reveal the
Gimmick that the group voted
for, right at the start.

Freddy: You hear the crunch of

gravel behind you. But it was too late.
By the time you turn around to look
you see a tall, masked figure. They
already have a gun pointed straight at you.

Tan: What? Who is it?

Freddy: The figure pushes down their mask. It’s

Mr Alen, your favourite teacher. He teaches
chemistry. He looks at you regretfully, and moves to
fire. You need to make a Death Save.

Tan: Another one? This is my third this session!

Kai already failed two Perilous rolls right at the start, in the
opening scene when the students were forced to run
through a field of moving lasers. They survived, but their Peril
Score is already at two. This recent failed check means they
have to increase their counter to three, and roll a D12 to see if
they survive.

54
 Tan rolls a D12, and fails
with a two. Their character is
going to die due to a run of
bad luck.

Freddy: “I’m sorry to do this to you,

Kai. You were a good student, at
least.” He takes the shot. You col-
lapse to the ground, bleeding out.
He disappears into the night. And… I’m
marking one more death on our tally.

Tan: Damn it!

Ceara: Alberto’s going to be gutted…

Freddy: That’s a good point actually. Alberto,

you’re not actually that far from Kai. You’re in the
neighbouring Zone. I’ll let you hear the gunshot and
run towards it.

Ceara: Of course he would! I assume he won’t be able

to save Kai, but he might witness their dying moments
at least.

Freddy: Exactly.

55
Ceara’s character switches Zones, even though it is
technically not her turn to choose a Player Activity, to
enable the dramatic moment.

When Alberto finds Kai, he confesses his crush

right before Kai bleeds out. Kai asks him to
promise to get revenge on the teachers. He
agrees, and adds a Promise to his character
sheet.

Tan takes over the GM’s duties. There is a

short changeover period while Freddy
chooses an NPC he likes and quickly turns
them into a PC. Meanwhile, Joel has
been hatching a plan for his character
Suzie to form an alliance with some of
the NPCs nearby. It will be his turn to
execute this plan in the next scene.

56
 Minor Items
ITEMS
NEUTRAL VIOLENT

1. A torch 1. A switchblade

2. A set of scissors 2. A taser

3. A set of paper clips and a 3. Pepper spray

length of string
4. A medical kit
4. Lockpicks
5. A slingshot
5. A notebook and
invisible ink 6. A heat signature tracker

6. A lighter 7. Camouflage gear

7. Rope 8. A jar of poison

8. A backpack of 9. A pistol with three bullets

army rations
10. A blowgun and darts
9. A tarpaulin

10. A calculator

57
Major Items
NEUTRAL VIOLENT

1. A fully charged phone 1. An Uzi

2. Heavy-duty painkillers 2. A machete

3. Blueprints for an 3. Body armour

important Location
4. A Molotov cocktail
4. Clues or a cheat-sheet for
the next Arena challenge 5. Chloroform

5. A vial of strong acid 6. A stun gun

6. Climbing gear 7. A pack of explosives

7. A bicycle or other mode of 8. A bow and arrow

quick transportation
9. A spear
8. A laptop, disconnected from the
internet but capable of performing 10. A set of daggers
basic functions

9. A jumble of circuitry, motherboards

and switches

10. A defibrillator

58
NAMES
MASCULINE FEMININE NEUTRAL

1. Alex 1. Chantal 1. Jordan

2. Luca 2. Aisha 2. Tee

3. Kai 3. Leila 3. Taylor

4. Leo 4. Zara 4. Dakota

5. Arjun 5. Esme 5. Timi

6. Gabriel 6. Lucia 6. Casey

7. Ravi 7. Amari 7. Quinn

8. Amir 8. Celly 8. Avery

9. Santiago 9. Elara 9. Reese

10. Hiroshi 10. Susan 10. Lerato

59
1. I was involved in conceptualising this game, but was never
supposed to end up inside it.

2. I’m secretly a private investigator, trying to find out what’s

really going on in this Arena.

3. I stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in a Ponzi scheme,

and even if I get out of here alive, I’m going straight to jail.

4. My younger sister is all I have, and I’ll do anything to get

back home safe to her.

5. I’m dying of a terminal illness – I may as well go

down fighting.

6. I was a whistleblower on an extremely important

corruption scandal, and someone tried to get rid of me.

7. I’m addicted to prescription drugs and need to get

more as quickly as possible.
SECRETS
8. I’m an illegal immigrant and I can’t afford to be sent
back home.

9. I belong to a death cult.

10. I know somebody on the staff here and they’re

helping me cheat.

60
MORE SECRETS

1. I’m in love with somebody here.

2. I was responsible for the death of my best friend.

3. My parents disowned me for being a disappointment –

perhaps winning here will finally make them happy.

4. I’m in a witness protection program.

5. I’ll do anything to get revenge on my cheating ex.

6. Somebody who hurt me is here and I want to get back

at them.

7. I used to be in the military, but I don’t want anyone to

know what I’m capable of.

8. I’m obsessed with true crime and have done a lot of

research on killing.

9. I’ve smuggled some very special goods in here.

10. I’m a cheater terrified of betrayal.

61
 “BURN IT
ALL DOWN.
START
AGAIN”

62
63
SCENARIOS
FOR YOUR
ENTERTAINMENT
64
█ Content Warning: Children in peril, teen drama,
lgbt+phobia, misogyny, racism, and the nightmarish stress of
standardised examinations.
 INTRODUCTION

O
Are you an overachiever? You thought you were, but
somehow, this time, for the first time in your life, you’ve
failed. You built your whole existence as a high-
schooler around getting into a prestigious university.
You got the extracurriculars, the grades, the perfect
CV. Yet somehow, you didn’t get the acceptance
letter. You can’t let this happen. You can’t fail.

In The Examination Hall, Applicants are offered

one last chance to get into the university of
their dreams. The process is very
competitive and takes place at a
mysterious, secret location out in the
countryside, in a state-of-the-art school
building presided over by masked
Invigilators. There’s only one thing
the Applicants don’t know until
they arrive: only one person can
leave with that spot. Everyone
else is leaving in a body bag.

66
 About the Arena
GAME SET-UP
The Examination Hall is a beautiful building
set up like a private school or university
campus. Anything you could conceivably find
in a fancy school, you can find here. But there
are also bloodstains on every surface, rooms
which fill with poison gas and death robots
patrolling the hallways.

67
Locations
THE INVIGILATION HALL STADIUM

A huge hall with a vaulted ceiling. This large, wooden stadium features a
Paper tests are set here. Dark- convertible basketball/hockey court.
clothed Invigilators walk up and Many Cull and Cornucopia events are
down aisles of wooden school held in this room. Sports equipment is
desks. Lasers beam from the ceiling, littered through the Stadium. Gun
immediately executing anybody turrets are mounted at the top of the
who cheats or fails to score the climbing nets.
necessary grade.
LIBRARY
CHEMISTRY LABS
Not only is the Library full of
Chock full of dangerous chemicals. books, it also features poison-dart
Anybody willing to brave the poison blowers which kill anyone who
gas can expect some very useful Items makes too much noise. If you’re
in the organised chaos. going to murder each other
here, do it quietly.

68
 Applicants in The Examination Hall pick
PLAYED COMPETITORS
their favourite school subject instead of
a Background Skill.

Pregenerated
Competitors
If you want to start playing quickly, you can use the
following premade competitors.

NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL

Alli Hayes: Prefect, Perfect, Privileged, Alli’s 0 0 / 12
family has always had great expectations for her. ITEMS
She’s had private tutors since she was learning
Pepper Spray
to read. When she got that rejection letter from
Oxford, she knew she couldn’t bear going to
Durham instead. She’ll do anything to get that
coveted place. After all, she’s never lost anything
in her life.

SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL

Violent D6 Smart D4 Lucky D8 Politics D10
NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL

Kai Tylor: Kai was never supposed to succeed at 0 0 / 12

anything. But their coach saw potential in them, ITEMS
and they’ve been excelling at track-and-field
Basketball
since middle school. Getting a sports scholarship
to college meant everything: a path to an
education nobody in their family ever had. But
nobody is giving a scholarship to a trans athlete
these days. After months of rejections, there’s
only one path to that scholarship: through
everybody else here.

SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL

Violent D8 Smart D6 Lucky D4 Track & field D10

NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL

0 0 / 12
Alberto Riva: Alberto has always known he was
different. Special. He may not have fit in at ITEMS
school, but all his teachers loved him. Maths Calculator
Olympiad, Quiz team, straight As. The only
academic achievement he has not yet received is
a degree from the best university in the country.
He’s worked so hard – surely he’s entitled to it.

SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL

Violent D6 Smart D8 Lucky D4 Mathematics D10

70
 The Teacher’s Pet
NPC ARCHETYPES
DC 6

You can use the NPC A brown-noser who always loves

archetypes in the core validation from authority figures,
game alongside these the Teacher’s Pet is desperate to
custom archetypes. please the powers-that-be, and they’ll
go to any lengths for that gold star.

Snitches Get Stitches: When the

Teacher’s Pet betrays another com-
petitor to the Invigilators, they and their
allies gain an extremely valuable resource
as a reward (the GM decides what). Once
they do this three times, they are found
horribly murdered and mutilated.

DC 6 The Sports Scholarship

Buff and brash, this candidate is ready to get into a
university they aren’t actually in any way qualified for, all
because they can row.

Loudly Confident: When attempting a task they have no

idea how to do, the Sports Scholarship can always brute-
force the task using physical strength.

71
The Queen Bee DC 5
Beautiful and popular, this candidate breezes through life as though nothing
can touch them. Maybe this time they’ll get the humbling they never got in
high school.

Plastics: The Queen Bee always has a gaggle of loyal followers

around them. If the Queen Bee would die, they can sacrifice one
of their followers instead. If you are allied with the Queen Bee
at the time this happens, test Smart to see if you can depose
them and gain their followers as your own. If you succeed
you gain a Hero Point (HP) and the Queen Bee becomes a
Wallflower. Be warned though: if you fail, the Queen Bee
won't be happy with your attempted insurrection.

The Wallflower DC 4

They’re nerdy. They get good grades. They do

everything right. But somehow, they’ve faded into the
background. They can’t stand out. Nobody sees them. And
internally… they’re so very angry about it.

Perks: Once per campaign, the Wallflower can black-out and

go wild, channelling their repressed trauma to perform feats
which far exceed anyone’s expectations of them. In this scene, they
can either save the life of themself and an ally, or kill or destroy
something which seemed invincible.

72
 Candidates arrive at the high school of their
choice ready to take what they believe will be a
standard, if more difficult and competitive than
normal, exam. But once they have sat down to
begin their test, the room fills with sleeping
gas. They wake up in the Invigilation Hall,
sitting at desks.

A no-nonsense voice over the intercom

announces that the examination is about to
begin. The candidates are told they will
undergo a series of tests over the next few
days designed to measure their suitability
for the unique scholarship in every way.
There are only a few rules: never disobey
an Invigilator, always look for the hidden
puzzles, and only one Applicant can win.
And don’t cheat on the tests!

The only items on each desk are a

ballpoint pen and test papers. When
Applicants turn over their papers, all
they see is a random number: their
Candidate Number (which they will
be referred to as by the Invigilators
from this point on).

73
This initiates the first Cull Move of the game. From the point the
examination starts, the candidates have ten minutes to find the hidden
puzzle under their desk and complete as much of it as possible. You
can give your players a free logic puzzle, or have them make
checks if doing actual puzzles is not their speed. The
worst 50% of candidates are dragged out by masked
Invigilators and shot.

74
ARENA EVENTS JURY OF YOUR PEERS DODGEBALL

The Invigilators invite all The Invigilators invite all

competitors to eliminate a competitors to play an
percentage of the remaining intense game of dodgeball.
Applicants. Vote by secret Participation is compulsory.
ballot for any competitor, Those who cannot cross the
whether they be a named room before being hit are
NPC or a PC. The Applicant immediately ‘out’, mean-ing
who receives the most they’re dispatched with a
votes dies instantly. The simple machine-gun to the
GM may also use this to head from turrets located
eliminate any number of around the Stadium.
unnamed competitors.
This is a variation on the Cull
This is a variation on Move from the core game.
the Cull Move from the
core game.

75
HIDE AND SEEK GROUP PROJECT

A number of the competitors’ former Each of the Applicants is ran-

teachers are dispatched to hunt candidates domly paired up (players
down and kill them. They have the best blindly draw each others’
possible equipment and pass from one names, in-volving some NPCs
Zone to another with ease. The hunt lasts in the draw at the GM’s
for one Day. discretion.) Each pair is given a
task from the following list:
This is a variation on the Creature Move
from the core game.
█ Make a complicated com-

MENSA UNITED pound in the Chemistry Lab.

A group of Applicants who believe █ Repair a malfunctioning Death

themselves to be the most intelligent Robot in the Stadium.
and deserving gang together to ace
the challenges and sabotage the █ Find and produce a good
competition. They, of course, only literary criticism of a niche classical
want to make sure they’re text in the Library.
competing against the best of the
best to the very end. For some
unfathomable reason, this group Other pairs of NPCs compete to
is entirely composed of similar- complete the same tasks. If the pairs
looking spectacled boys. do not succeed within a certain time
limit, they are eliminated.
This is a variation on
the Faction Move from the This is a variation on the Parley Move
core game. from the core game.

76
 You have multiple choices
Sudden
SHOWDOWNS
for Showdowns depending
on the requirements of
your game.
Death
This Showdown takes place in
the Invigilation Hall. Remaining
Applicants are sent to their desks
and asked to write down the
answers to a series of questions.
The questions are extremely
difficult (with a higher DC for every
answer) and writing the wrong
answer or falling behind time gets you
eliminated. Applicants may cheat, but
will immediately be killed by Invigilators
if caught.

VARIANT

If your players like meta-competition, you

can pull up a difficult online quiz. Players
don’t need to roll for their candidate if they
know the right answer.

77
Personal
Statement
Each Applicant must justify to a mysterious
Board why they should be the one to win the
game. Applicants make opposed checks against
each other, each using their Background Skill.

The GM determines advantages based on the

quality of their speech. If they tell a sob story,
they add one point to their roll. If they
leverage buzzwords, they add one point per
buzzword. If they have a wealthy
background or some other way to bribe
the Board, they may add a D4. Other
bonuses are determined at the GMs
discretion. Of course, if applicants
mysteriously die at any point during
the Showdown, they are not eligible
to win the contest, which the
Invigilators are very clear about.

78
School Items

1. Basketball

2. Trophy

3. Calculator

4. Compass

5. Paint set

6. Exercise book

7. Protractor

8. Contraband substance
(GM decides what)

9. Nurse’s first-aid kit

10. Craft knife

School Secrets

1. I’ve come to hate my best friend, but if I tell them I’ll lose my
last social connection.

2. I’m faking my age to be in this game; I actually graduated

several years ago.

3. I’m the child of one of the teachers.

4. I’m much poorer than I pretend to be.

5. I have a hobby which I’m way too ashamed to tell others

about (choose any ‘cringe’ hobby).

6. I’m gay, but I’m not ready to be out yet.

7. I’m going out with my best friend’s crush.

8. I’m the school drug-dealer.

9. I have a disability I don’t want others to know

TABLES
about.

10. My older sibling already won this scholarship;

I’m doing this so my parents stop comparing me
to them.
█ Content Warning: Hospitals, medical abuse, financial exploitation, non-
consensual medical treatment, implied parental abuse, suicide, needles and
other medical equipment re-appropriated for violent ends.
 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Conrad Open Hospital, the cutting edge of private medical
treatment. Our state-of-the-art facility provides first-class medical care to
those at the precipice of life and death. Conditions previously regarded as
terminal can now be cured by our expert team. The Conrad Open Hospital
takes pride in our high-quality care which, for a select group of patients, is
all provided free of monetary cost.

There is a simple condition for those who cannot afford treatment…

After rehabilitation, the only way to be discharged from our care is to be
the last patient left standing. You’ve beaten your ailments, but can you
beat your fellow patients to death? The results will speak for
themselves. This is all broadcast to the hospital’s generous donors –
we have to turn a profit via some means, you see.

Many patients signed up for this procedure of their own accord.

They were educated about any risks or complications and decided
to seek the treatment best for them. Of course, there are some
patients who arrive to us in an incapacitated state – patients
whose health may have been at risk if we didn’t take immediate,
decisive action. Perhaps you are one such patient. It goes
without saying that, if you are such a patient, you still need to
have your treatment funded. You would have perished without
the hospital’s intervention, and we are so pleased you made it
through. Now it’s time to see how far you will go to keep your
lease on life.

82
 About the Arena
GAME SET-UP
The Hospital is sleek, sophisticated and sterile.
Patients may have interacted with staff during
treatment, but once the death game begins
staff are completely absent. The hospital has a
great deal of automation, and any physical
intervention by game runners will be careful
to remain unseen by competitors.

Competitors awaken in a hospital bed, having

been administered a sedative beforehand.
Medical supplies have been left waiting
around the facility; while hospital
administrators begrudge how often they
need to order replacement tools and
medications, the donors simply adore the
way a scalpel carves through skin. As such,
sourcing specific items can be more
routine than in other Arenas.

83
Locations
You can assume the Conrad Open Hospital has any type of room which would
feasibly be in a regular hospital.

OPERATING THEATRE FILING ROOMS

There are many such theatres in the Contain charts on virtually every
hospital – aseptic cleanrooms, at patient. If someone can figure out
least before competitors arrive. the filing system, they might gain
Surgical lights make these rooms an edge on their competitors.
terrible places to hide. Equipment
used during procedures can still DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING SUITES
be found here.
The hospital offers a range of

PHARMACY diagnostic imaging tools: CT scans,

MRIs, X-Rays, and so forth.
All medicine cabinets are locked Competitors should remember the
and opaque. Competitors can power of radiation.
break the cabinets open, but
will find random contents MORGUE
inside unless they’ve figured
out the sorting system. Seldom used in day-to-day operations.
The Conrad Open Hospital has a stellar
rate of patient survival during treatment,
but the morgues get extensive use after
the game.

84
 Competitors in The Conrad Open
PLAYED COMPETITORS
Hospital must specify which
treatment they received and
whether they consented to it,
alongside choosing a name and
Background Skill as usual.

85
NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL
0 0 / 12
Lloyd Knight: A week before the game
commenced, Lloyd left their home in the middle ITEMS
of the night with the intention that they would Scalpel
not be coming back. Majorly depressed and
experiencing difficult and intense mood swings,
Lloyd prepared to end it all. Intervention by the
Conrad Open Hospital saved their life. But
Lloyd still hasn’t made it home yet. They don’t
feel like they want to die anymore, at least not
right now. But are they actually willing to kill
to live?

SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL

Violent D6 Smart D4 Lucky D8 Chemistry Student D10

NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL

Darcie Norton: It wasn’t life-threatening. It was 0 0 / 12
barely life-affecting. But it was unsightly,
ITEMS
embarrassing, and brought by shame on her
family, so they pressured her to sign up and have Bedpan
it dealt with. Her family have complete faith in
Darcie’s ability to survive, but in the event she
doesn’t at least she died as she should have
lived: pretty.

SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL

Violent D6 Smart D8 Lucky D4 Programmer D10

86
 An Upper Class Mind
NPC ARCHETYPES
DC: 4

A patient who has miraculously recovered from a

coma. Well, in the sense that the body is up and
moving again. An elderly, upper-class patient had
their brain transplanted into the body of a comatose
descendent. The patient may have been able to pay
for treatment themselves, but the opportunity to save
some pennies and experience the thrill of ending a life
was too good to pass up.

Pay to Win: This competitor made some small

donations to the hospital in exchange for being told
the location of a stashed Major Item.

87
The Ringer DC: 6

The Ringer enters the game once it’s already underway, a reward for a
previously stellar performance. They won the game before but picked up
injuries that required further treatment, throwing them back into this cycle.
This competitor is savvy to the specifics of how the game works and practiced
in violence.

Not My First Rodeo: The Ringer knows how to deal with any
challenges they faced last time in the Arena. Whether they know
where key supplies are or how to get out of challenges organised by
the administration, the Ringer will be at an advantage unless the
game runners decide to mix things up.

Score Settler DC: 5

Forcibly entered into the game after being rescued from a grizzly
demise. Upon learning the two bands of patients, the Score Settler
developed a mighty vitriol for those who willingly signed up for this, seeing
them as tacit supporters of this system. They’ll target them accordingly.

Anyone But You: The Score Settler will never make an alliance with
someone who willingly signed up to the game.

What’s Coming to You: If you signed up willingly to the game and fail a
Perilous check in close proximity to this competitor, roll a D8 rather than a
D12 for your Death Save.

88
 What’s the last thing you remember?
ENTERING THE ARENA
Try to count down from 10, you’ll be unconscious in no time.

You’re going to feel a short, sharp scratch.

Wake up in recovery, eyelids almost as heavy as your limbs.

The test results look promising.

You’re going to feel a short, sharp scratch.

Practice movement.

Take this, it will help while your strength comes back.

You’re going to feel.

Ready to be discharged?

Everything will be explained to you, if you weren’t already clued up.

This is a sedative.

The dosages have all been calculated.

You’ll wake up at the same time as everyone else.

Are you excited to meet your fellow patients?

You’re going to feel.

You’re going to feel.

You’re going to feel.

Wake up, sleepy head.

89
COMPLICATIONS LOST AND FOUND

No medical procedure is These competitors are not the first

without risk. The admin- set of patients at the Conrad
istrators announce that Open Hospital. They likely won’t
certain treatments are due be the last. The PA announces
to experience a sudden the lost and found is open in one
unanticipated failure. For of the morgues. Frozen bodies
instance, a heart transplant of previous unsuccessful
might cease to beat, as if competitors still have blood
there was a kill switch stained Items in their grasps.
installed inside. Patients with
these treatments are doomed Competitors who dash to the
unless they can source some morgue could source major
ad hoc aid within the hospital. violent Items, the kind of
Named NPCs will always be tools the administration

ARENA EVENTS
able to reach whatever they gives competitors just to
need to survive unless the PCs make things interesting.
intervene.
This is a variation on the
Whether or not affected PCs Cornucopia Move from
survive depends on their skills the core game.
and reactions. The GM may also
use this to eliminate any number
of unnamed competitors.

This is a variation on the Cull

Move from the core game.

90
 DAMAGED MACHINE GAS LEAK

An MRI machine seems to A burst pipe floods a lethal dose of gas

have been badly damaged in into a certain occupied area. People
a fight between competitors, might wonder how such a sophisticated
or perhaps by game runners hospital could still have accidents like
operating out of sight. The this. These are, of course, not accidents.
scanning rooms doors lock and Competitors must escape the location
the machine begins booting with haste, find oxygen masks to avoid
up. If any competitors are in inhaling the gas, or find some medical
here when the machine finishes supplies that can help them deal with
its start-up sequence, the the dose.
consequences will be severe.
Competitors must either escape The gas leak lasts for two sections of
or stop the machine from a Day.
beginning operations.
This event could be used as a
This event could be used as a variation on the Creature Move
variation on the Creature Move (being a situation that can’t be
(being a situation that can’t be destroyed, only evaded) or as a
destroyed, only evaded) or as a variation on the Parley Move
variation on the Parley Move (forcing competitors to work
(forcing competitors to work together to survive).
together to survive).

91
PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT

The hospital's primary focus in dispensing treatment

was patient survival. Once the game begins, though,
they can offer opportunities to enhance performance
(seeing how such opportunities play out is a delight for
the donors). The PA system announces where select
PEDs can be found: various stimulants for alertness,
narcotic analgesics for powering through pain and
injury, endurance enhancing substances, nootropics
for the brain, even the competitors’ own blood for a
fresh advantage.

Decide which PEDs are on offer and where, then

roll a D6 per six remaining competitors to decide
how many participate in the event. At least half of
them should not survive. The PEDs acquired by
the lucky competitors can be taken straight away
and function like an Item; if the effects of the
drug would help a Skill Check, add a D4. The
PEDs wear off after a full Day.

This is a variation on the Cornucopia Move

from the core game.

92
 The Showdown for the Conrad Open
SHOWDOWN
Hospital can take place in the lobby.

The Showdown itself is usually just a

desperate punch-up as the remaining
patients try not to bleed out. What is
unique is what happens afterwards.

When there is only one competitor left, the

doors to the outside world are unsealed.

If the winner has picked up any injuries, a

hospital administrator will be there to greet
them. These injuries could be treated by the
Conrad Open Hospital. A payment plan could
be worked out, the injuries are unlikely to be
life-threatening, but maybe this administrator
could interest the winner in an offer to push their
luck. Let the hospital fix them up, gift some
advantages, and re-enter the next game. They can
enter play a little after the other patients, as a
reward… they did win, after all, didn’t they?

The winner doesn’t have to accept such an offer. Just

be careful not to trek too much blood on your way out.

93
Minor Major
Items Items

█ Surgical scissors █ Defibrillator

█ Lancet █ Bonesaw

█ Antibiotics █ Gas cylinder

█ Bandages █ Skull breaker

█ Reflex hammer █ Cranial drill

█ Tourniquet █ Syringe

█ Microscope █ Oxygen mask and tube

█ Forceps █ Transfusion kit

█ Bedpan █ Powered surgical saw

█ Scalpel █ Surgical stapler

ITEMS

94
█ Content Warning: Discussions of xenophobia.
 INTRODUCTION
[[muffled radio static]]

“The Outside World is a desolate wasteland, devastated by endless waves

of ecological destruction and scourged by innumerable horrors.

Paradise was lost to us – but by the grace of the Founders and the
Architects, we have built our new utopia, the shining city of Paradiso-5.

Huddled masses… yearning for safety, comfort and respite… join us in

the perfected environment of the Architects, where our citizens live
in climate-controlled plenty. Our gracious gates are opened to
those rare few who can prove yourselves worthy in our grand civic
arenas. Prove to us that you can share our dream, that you are
the premier citizen-in-waiting, and you may enter into Paradise”

[[transmission ends]]

(Left unspoken during the recruitment broadcast is what

happens to the remainder who are judged undeserving… but
you can probably hazard a guess.)

96
 About the Arena
GAME SET-UP
The Arena is set in sections of Model City
Paradiso-5, a Art Deco urban environment full
of beautiful organised gardens, clean housing
and various community amenities, all encased in
a large translucent climate-controlled dome.
Common motifs are blue crystalline decorations
and statues of the founding Architects in an
inordinate number of places. Recognised citizens
don colour-coded clothing according to roles and are
linked to a central knowledge network via headsets.

The city is run by the Architects, who have near-divine

control of Paradiso’s built environment, able to alter
buildings, release drones and create various biological
horrors in the name of city maintenance. They also
administer the citizenship contest – though their scoring
rubric is deliberately obtuse beyond ‘Prove Yourself
Worthy of Paradise’ and they only communicate via
recorded messages.

Tracking Time in the

NOTE: The Move Under The Cover of Night Player
Activity is not available, as night-time is actually
more dangerous than day.

97
Arena
The Arena is divided into the Citizen and Scourge Phases:

█ The Citizen Phase challenges █ The Scourge Phase is when

are themed around proving your the city infrastructure comes
ability to blend in or assimilate to hostile life, as the Architects
with the populace. Dangers here shift the environs to sweep up
include accusations of anyone or anything they find
“uncitizenly” behaviour, distasteful. These usually take
attracting the attention of place at night, when citizens are
robotic hound-like Shepherds, asleep at home after curfew falls.
and failing the byzantine The Scourge Phase also activates if
citizenship challenges the contestants attempt to escape their
Architects set. These usually testing areas or enter forbidden
take place during the day. parts of the city, such as its inner
mechanisms.

This will change the way you have to track the passage of time in this Arena
as follows:

█ The Citizen Phase occurs █ The Scourge Phase occurs

during the Morning and during the Evening and Night
Afternoon sections of the Day. sections of the Day.

Adjustments can be made depending on the actions of the competitors. If they

trigger a Scourge Phase, it can last up to an entire Day.

98
 Locations
THE ADMINISTRATIVE RING ARCHITECT’S SQUARE & PARK
Paradiso’s core, the seat of the A leisure area where citizens gather
Architects. Home to the control to relax and enjoy public artwork
room for the city and possibly the (which conveniently spouts slogans
final Showdown, if you follow the and quotes from city founders).
Architect‘s tune. Park goers would hate if their per-
fect day is disrupted by grubby

THE INDUSTRIAL RING unfitting interlopers.

A more mundane part of the city Tip: You can take a familiar location
filled with factories, hydroponic from a major city and make it part
farms and other complexes that of Paradiso by doubling down on
supply citizens with every luxury. key themes:
This is where the competitors
start, usually facing a menial
labour trial with deadly results █ Urban architecture that is hostile
upon failure. to loitering

This area includes the █ An unnatural cleanliness and sterility

Contestant Sleeping Area, a in public spaces
white, box-like room with no
cameras and no lights at night. █ Deliberately bio-engineered flora
Contestants that don’t sleep in and fauna
here risk vulnerability to the
city’s cleaning-bots during the █ Lots of cameras to really sell that
Scourge Phase. Contestants Panopticon feel!
that do are at the mercy of the
other competitors.

99
 The cast of characters who find
themselves in Paradiso’s Arena hail
from the ecologically destroyed regions
outside the city, and their Background
Skill reflects who they used to be in
wasteland society.

Civic Flaws

PLAYED COMPETITORS
OPTIONAL RULE

Played Competitors can start with a Civic

Flaw – a trait that helped them survive in the
wastes that now marks them out as ‘foreign’
to Paradiso (for instance, a noticeable
nictitating membrane that shielded eyes from
dust). Paradiso citizens view those with a Civic
Flaw more negatively and these competitors
have a harder time blending in (when
attempting to blend in, downgrade the dice used
by one step, e.g. D8 to D6). However when the
trait is relevant, it can function as a second
Background Skill, allowing players to roll with a
D10 on skill checks.
 NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL
Aanchal “Jukebox Disaster” Collins: She’s 0 0 / 12
beauty, she’s grace, she can scrap an Old-World ITEMS
device and have it sold on the beige market in 45
Salvaged MP3
minutes or less. Rumour has it she’s a devil on
the dancefloor, and has an ancient MP3 player
she loves to blast on the job. Subtle’s not the
name of game for Aanchal, so she may have CIVIC FLAW
some trouble fitting in. Ear Flaps D10

SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL

Violent D6 Smart D4 Lucky D8 Scrap Salvager D10

101
NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL
0 0 / 12
Robert “White Titanium” O’Leary Robert’s
momma always told him he was born with a ITEMS
wire-jack in his hands. He can be in a computer Wire-jack
network within minutes, but he’s only ever seen
old-world tech. He’s dreamed for years of the
clean, swift systems of Paradiso. But will access CIVIC FLAW
be as easy as he’s been accustomed to?
None D10
SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL
Violent D6 Smart D4 Lucky D8 Old-Tech Hacker D10

NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL

0 0 / 12
Operational-Security-Must-Be-Maintained-At-
All-Times, aka, Meathead: Named for the sign ITEMS
they were abandoned underneath as a baby, Rusted Dagger
Meathead was born to survive. Rescued by a
wasteland cult, their mysterious luck means
they; and the cult around them, believe they’re CIVIC FLAW
the chosen one. Is it time to spread the word?
Sharpened Teeth D10
SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL
Apocalypse-Cult-
Violent D6 Smart D8 Lucky D4 Ritualist
D10

102
 Wasteland Civic
Background Skills Flaws

1. Scrap salvager 1. Ear flaps

2. Old-tech hacker 2. Nictitating

membrane
3. Wastelands trader
3. Long fingers
4. Folk medic
4. Coarse skin
5. Subsistence farmer
5. Sharp teeth
6. Apocalypse-cult-ritualist
6. Two tongues
7. Saloonist
7. Neck-eye
8. Quickdraw-assassination-
specialist 8. Acid-resistant hair

9. Soothsayer 9. Tiny nose

10. Stimulant-fabricator 10. Reversible knees

103
1. I know the contest is really for choosing Architects, and I
bribed the technicians to let me keep my memories.

2. I suspect the Architects might not be alive – and I plan

to expose their secrets to all of Paradiso.

3. I heard that the Architects will happily settle for no

new citizens joining if all fail the criteria, even if
someone survives to the end.

4. I don’t have a chance of winning, so I plan to

escape and squat in the city instead.

5. I am here for vengeance – someone in

Paradiso, whether an Architect, a citizen or
a fellow competitor, has done me wrong. SECRETS
6. I suspect Paradiso is the cause of the
ecological devastation in the wastes,
and I am here to turn the tables.

104
 Paradiso Devotee
NPC ARCHETYPES
DC: 4

This competitor has a bit of inside help. Perhaps they have

family already in Paradiso, or maybe they were employed as
a temporary worker and drew a map before being kicked
back out. Either way, they have an informational
advantage and are desperate enough to trade this
knowledge for your assistance.

Part of The Herd: When allied with this archetype,

all rolls for blending in are one die higher; however,
each time you blend in you must also roll a D6. On
a 1, the Paradiso Devotee fears that associating
with you will taint them by proxy and will leave
the group.
 There is a distinct absence to the air – no
miasma, none of the acidity – just a clean
sterility that mirrors the room you find
yourselves in. An apathetic robotic voice
issues from hidden speakers:

‘Welcome outsiders, to Paradiso-5 – by the grace

of the Architects, you have been selected for
processing. Over the next 5 days, we will assess

ENTERING THE ARENA

your suitability to join our model citizens within our
perfectly constructed paradise. If you are worthy,
you shall live; if we find you agents of the Scourge,
you shall be extirpated. Have a good day.’

The robotic voice then directs competitors to the

next challenge, as you are all herded by chrome
robotic hounds into the Arena proper.

The contest begins with the Department of

Manpower Recruiting Drive.

106
ARENA EVENTS CITIZEN INTERACTIONS THE BOOTSTRAPS TEST

The citizenship test is public After a night or two in the city,

knowledge to Paradiso’s all competitors are summarily
inhabitants. While some evicted from the contestant
citizens might be helpful, a sleeping area and left to fend
good number of them want for themselves and find shelter
to participate in “testing” during the Scourge Phase. The
competitors themselves – Architects’ recorded message
deliberately making obtuse merely comments that model
smalltalk to weed out citizens can provide for them-
outsiders, saying “off- selves and not rely on the charity
colour” comments about of the state.
the outside world, and
attacking anyone they All of Paradiso’s citizens return to
deem to be unworthy. their homes by 12am, before the
Some may also be city becomes hostile to all life.
unintentional hazards, Spikes prevent resting on flat
say due to their fondness surfaces, Wolves (larger, more
for bio-engineered pets aggressive versions of the robotic
with toxins non-citizens Shepherds) patrol alongside crystal-
are not acclimated to. line laser drones, and various local
flora begin their toxic nighttime
This is a variation on the pollen release phase.
Hunt Move from the
core game. This is a variation on the Cull Move
from the core game.

107
MODEL CITIZEN TEST THE DEPARTMENT
OF MANPOWER
The Architects test your knowledge of Paradiso’s RECRUITING DRIVE
norms in a Jeopardy-style quiz, asking questions on
the Founders, citizen appointed roles, current Competitors are asked
events, sports trivia and so forth. Consequences to do menial industrial
for wrong answers include losing points, tasks (e.g. stamp wid-
heightened risk of elimination (known as double- gets, enter data, organise
Jeopardy), and being dropped into a pit with the packages) at a constantly
Refuse of Society (an Architect’s pet project – a accelerating pace, with the
giant venomous slime mould that was initially slowest being eliminated
developed for abrasive city cleaning). Roll a and dragged off to who
D6 per six NPC competitors. The total knows where. This challenge
number indicates how many competitors eliminates a quarter of the
failed to gain the requisite number of points NPC contestants – PCs will
and are fed to the slime mould. PC survival need to make a skill check
is determined by either a skill check or the to move faster than
optional challenge below. the competition.

[Optional challenge: you can pick This is a variation on the Cull

questions from your country’s civics or Move from the core game.
citizenship test to stand in for quiz
questions – in which case, choose 4
and set a passing grade (e.g. 50%). If
the players passes, their PC survives;
if not, they face the slime mould and
need to make further skill checks
to escape.]

This is a variation on the Cull

Move from the core game.

108
 CITYSCAPE REFURBISHMENT

The signature move of the Architects,

wherein segments of Paradiso shift and
turn like a Rubix cube, revealing buildings
for new functions, unusual flora or fauna, or
additional security measures. Contestants
might find themselves stuck in a gradually
shrinking alleyway or dropped into Paradiso’s
inner mechanisms due to a flipping building.

This challenge can function as a Cornucopia Move

or as a way to initiate a Hunt Move against PCs:

█ CORNUCOPIA VARIATION
Gazing into the depths of the city’s mechanisms, competitors spy
an opportunity - perhaps a segment under refurbishment that holds
valuable items, or a transmitter station for Shepherds and headsets.
PCs who succeed in navigating the shifting mechanisms gain
an advantage.

█ HUNT VARIATION
Paradiso itself begins pursuing PCs as city structures start hemming
competitors in with hazards or herding them towards more
murderous contestants.

109
 There are multiple options for Showdowns.
SHOWDOWNS
The Revelation
The architects create a massive escher-esque
cityscape maze within the Administrative District.
Speakers broadcast a monologue by the city
founders on how the world ended in a frenzy of
violence and all screens show the founding myth of
Paradiso. The first contestant to make it out alive wins.

The Journey
Towards Omelas
With the Architects as their audience, competitors are
forced to perform an allegorical play about the city’s
founding in a grand amphitheatre. Competitors are cast as
either the Founders or the Scourge, depending on how
easily they’ve assimilated within the city, and provided with
weapons. Founders are instructed to extirpate the Scourge,
while the Architects continue to field hazards that parody
dangers from the wastelands. The best (and surviving)
performer is judged to have properly understood the virtues
of Paradiso.

111
1. Salvaged MP3

2. Ski mask

3. Handful of scrapped LEDs

WASTELAND ITEMS
4. Wire-jack

5. Paradiso-brand rations

6. Rusted dagger

7. Iron bear-trap

8. A bottle of radioactive water

9. A tiny carnivorous sandworm

10. Nerve-agent

112
 █ Content Warning: Mentions of drug use, satirical discussion of social
structures of oppression, (for more info, read the Author’s Note).

113
 INTRODUCTION
Maybe you needed an escape; maybe you were tired of
working your ass off and still not making it; maybe you
wanted to prove yourself; maybe you just did it to own the
libs; maybe you messed with the wrong people, or maybe
the wrong people messed with you; maybe you were
randomly picked when coming home alone late at night
– maybe you don’t even have a home – since nobody
will miss you anyway. Doesn’t matter. They drugged
you and abducted you. Now you’re here.

Somebody once told us there is no such thing as

an “Oppression Olympics”, but nobody said there
shouldn’t be one! Well, too bad, suckers, cause
that’s exactly what we’ve done!

Welcome to…

The Oppression Olympics!

114
 This scenario is a satire about how capitalism and
AUTHOR’S NOTE
mainstream media, especially reality TV, hijacks
marginalised people’s lives as entertainment –
and how, in turn, this relates to broader
discussions around “identity politics”. It is
meant to make fun of how ridiculous some of
this media can be, while exploring whether
actual liberation is possible while working
within the system. It is not meant to make
fun of oppression, but rather of the
oppressor’s gaze on narratives about
“overcoming” it. And it is meant to be
ridiculous – please, remember that when
play-ing. For other media with similar
themes (and conclusions), watch the film
Snowpiercer (2013, dir. Bong Joon-ho) –
the director’s cut, I’ve heard there’s a
butchered Weinstein US cut that I
cannot vouch for.

115
A Note on Playing
Characters with
Marginalised
Identities
Question: Can I play as a straight white guy and still
have fun?

Answer: Yes. No shame in playing on easy.

Question: Can I play as a marginalised identity that I am not?

Answer: Uh, that’s complicated. I am personally wary of it, but I

think it depends a lot on how respectfully you approach it – not as
a parody, but as actually trying to engage with difference. On one
hand, I think it’s a good thing to explore identity aspects like gender
and sexuality through characters in games;, on the other, race is way
more complex – for example, a white person playing a black character
would be seen by many as blackface, which is downright offensive. In
the end, I can’t tell you what to do. Just don’t be a jerk and agree on a
common ground for your group before playing. And don’t do accents,
please, don’t fucking do accents.

116
 About the Arena
GAME SET-UP
The Arena is on an island: nothing but the ocean as far as the
eye can see. In the centre of the island: a tower, impressively
tall and almost as wide. At the top levels of the building: the
transmission antenna, the studios, and the Penthouse,
where previous winners live in obscene luxury.

The goal is simple: start from the bottom, get to the top.
Only one person will be allowed entrance to the
Penthouse, to live the rest of their life in comfort and
opulence, with their every want provided for. No one
can get out. Not that anyone’s ever tried. Huh.

Each level of the tower presents a different

challenge: some are physical in nature, some are
social experiments, others are puzzles. Feel free to
take inspiration from any media, or the other Arenas
presented in this book – our sponsors spared no expense
in creating the best entertainment facilities. Here are some
examples of levels:

117
█ A huge movie set modelled like a city block, complete with
fake empty buildings and streets. Every phase of the day,
random areas of the block are set on fire – if you’re in one of
them, oops. If you kill someone, you earn an Item of your
choice. You must survive here for two days.

█ Totally empty. You are told a competitor is lying about

who they are, and you must identify the liar by any means
necessary. Every phase of the day, loudspeakers start
shouting your worst flaws – true or not. At the end of the
day, competitors vote and the chosen liar is killed. They
don’t tell you if you’re wrong.

█ Complete darkness. You can hear beastly sounds in

the distance. Shots are fired. Somebody screams.

█ A giant chessboard the size of a football field. Two

random competitors are chosen as the chessmasters
and the rest are assigned as specific pieces.

█ Beach sports level! Don’t ask how they got this

whole fake beach inside.

█ An indoor botanical garden with a wide variety of

plants and trees. You’re hunted for sport. Some of
the hunters are previous winners. Every phase of the
day, feral animals are released in random areas of
the garden.

118
 Character Creation
PLAYED COMPETITORS
In The Oppression Olympics, character generation
works slightly differently. Make the following
modifications to the character generation process.

BACKGROUND SKILLS

Your disadvantages and/or oppressed identities are

your Background Skill. You may have as many
Background Skills as you have disadvantages.

If you’re unsure what ‘counts’ as a disadvantage, don’t

worry, it’s not based on any science or social theory. The
camera decides! If you think the producers can milk it for
drama, write it down.

Your Background Skill can be used when performing for the

cameras. Our viewers love seeing you surpass your limits, so
the more oppressed you are, the more you can use your
Background Skill to perform for them. Especially if you make a
moving speech and cry about it. You can also Boost a roll if you
make an inspirational monologue about how accomplishing the
attempted action is tied to overcoming your tragic backstory.

119
OPPRESSION SCORE ITEMS

The Background Skills that you No PC can start with the same Item.
have are fed to a state-of-the-art
algorithm that gives you your You can choose any Item on the
Oppression Score™. To find this, Minor Items table in the core book,
add together all your Background but the PC with the lowest
Skills. The higher your score, the Oppression Score™ gets to
better your narrative; the lower your choose first. If your Oppression
score, the better Items you start with. Score™ is 0, you can choose two.

Able-bodied straight white guys (with no If there are no Items left on the
other disadvantages that might add to table by the time the PC with
their Oppression Score™) always start the highest score gets to
with one Hero Point and two Items. If choose, they get nothing.
your Oppression Score™ is more than
two, give yourself one Peril for each
point after the first two.

For example, if you were playing a

homeless disabled latina trans lesbian, your
Oppression Score™ would be 5. You would
need to give yourself three Peril.

120
 NAME & BACKSTORY HP PERIL
0 0 / 12
Hollie Fulton: Said to a confessional camera: “I
ITEMS
grew up poor in Belfast. My Catholic parents
had never had the opportunities they should Motion Tracker
have*...[cut content] So anyway. It was tough
growing up. My parents moved to America for a
better life**, but the American Dream wasn’t as
easy as it looked, especially when I realised I
fancied girls. I always just felt out of place. I’m
here because there’s money involved, right? My OPPRESSION SCORE™
dad has cancer and his medical bills are through 2
the roof.**** Maybe if I win I can make a better
life for my family. The one my parents never had.
BACKGROUND SKILL
Immigrant D10
SKILLS BACKGROUND SKILL
Violent D6 Smart D8 Lucky D4 Lesbian D10

PRODUCERS’ NOTES

*We can’t use that! You think our viewers know

anything about events that happened 50 years ago
on the other side of the world?

**Immigrant? That works.

***Brilliant. Maybe we can set up a romance?

**** Get over yourself. Everyone has medical debt. Hardly a

compelling story.

121
Discuss at the table whether you want to use any or all of these
archetypes, knowing that anybody around the table could end up
playing them as the GM.

The Hustler DC 6
Ruthless and effective, the Hustler will do anything to win. If you ally with
them, they don’t hide that they will betray you whenever necessary.

Let’s Talk About Me, Baby: Once a Day, when the Hustler sees
another competitor succeeding at something, they can play to
the cameras, making it look like either a massive victory for

NPC ARCHETYPES
them or an uncalled for attack. The Hustler’s DC for the scene
raises by one. If the competitor whose limelight they stole is an
NPC, their DC for the scene lowers by 1. If they are a PC, they
remove D4 from their Skill Checks for the rest of the scene.

If you’re allied with them, you reap the benefits. Feel bad
about it if you want.

122
 DC 4 The Rebel
The Rebel attempts to rally everyone together against the system. Needless
to say, they’re mostly ignored. They are a good ally, though: while they may
risk themself for the safety of others, they’re also cautious and strategic.
You think they might have ulterior motives for being here.

Da Bomb: If the Rebel dies near you, they tell you to check their
body: they have explosives, taken from a previous level. They
break their mic and cover yours. “Take it. Set this whole shit on
fire,” they whisper, almost inaudibly. “We don’t have to play this
game. We can try to escape. This is madness.”

DC 6 The White Savior

An impulsive, but well-intentioned, straight white guy (always
a guy) ally. He has a sad, hidden past. Probably grew up on a
farm with his grandparents or something. Sometimes says
dumb offensive shit, but he’s learning. Likely has a crush on
one of the oppressed Played Competitors.

Heroic Sacrifice: If you make a promise to this

character, he will sacrifice himself in a huge, flashy
scene to save you later in the game – test Lucky
against DC 6 to see if his sacrifice was effective.

123
The Transsexual Pawn DC 4
She’s not a cute catgirl from Tumblr nor a sexy Instagram model.
She’s not very funny and she does not slay. She likely does not
pass, she’s awkward, she talks too loud, and her voice is kinda
ugly. She’s probably a woman of colour, too. If there’s a
transsexual empire, she’s definitely not part of it – she’s just
existing, trying to survive. If you don’t like her very much
it’s not because of politics – she’s just annoying.

Under the Bus: When facing a Perilous situation

and allied with the Transsexual Pawn, you can
gang up to sacrifice her instead – either roll a
normal Skill Check or, if you have another
transsexual to back you, just get away
with it automatically.

124
 You wake up tied to a chair, in an empty room with no
ENTERING THE ARENA
windows. In front of you: a camera and the Producer, smiling
with a big tablet in their hands. The Producer is all fake smiles
and panache. They can be any gender, sexuality, race or
nationality: the only thing that matters is they clearly do a lot
of coke and/because they’ve spent their life working for big
media companies.

The Producer asks who you are, ignoring all your questions until
you answer them. Check your privilege – literally. Are you a
white guy? Bah, alright! Nobody cares about those anymore –
I’ve heard they’re being replaced or something! But I guess we
can turn you into a broody-hero-with-a-troubled-past type, we’ll
see. Are you a homeless disabled latina trans lesbian? Now that’s
better! Smile for the camera – but not too much, people only
want you for your tragic backstory.

After talking to the Producer, you are taken to another

windowless room, where you can choose your Item(s) while the
clothing and make-up departments get you ready for the
spotlight. They tell you the show is transmitted to rich people all
over the world through red rooms on the dark web. Viewers pay
large sums for access, though the island and tower themselves are
property of a single investor.

When you’re ready, you are once again sedated. You wake
up at the bottom of the tower, surrounded by the
other participants.

The game’s on.

125
 CANCELLATION REPRESENTATION

The viewers want to cancel Sometimes, one of the

competitors who are boring previous winners will see
or problematic. The GM themselves in a participant
triggers a 4-segment clock. and take a liking to them. If
At the end of each part of the this happens, they will send
day until the clock is Major Items as gifts. The
complete, players write GM rolls to see which PC or
down the names of named named NPC is sent gifts by a
NPCs or PCs who are not previous winner.
working hard enough to-
wards getting to the top. Every item has a price. The
The competitors (exact competitor who is given
number decided or rolled by privileges is immediately
the GM, representing the hated, denounced and

ARENA EVENTS
viewers) with the most targeted by other com-
notes multiplied by their petitors. They’ll be coming
Oppression Score™ have to for you.
fight until a certain number
of them (also decided by Immediately start a Hunt
the GM) are killed. One targeted at the competitor(s)
may escape cancellation who received a gift.
by using a Hero Point to
throw someone else under This is a variation on a Clock
the bus. Move from the core game.

This is a variation on a
Clock Move, which then
triggers a Cull Move from
the core game.

126
 When you reach the door to the Penthouse, you
SHOWDOWN
have no choice. Only one can enter. It’s just that
simple: kill the others, get in. No games, no
gimmicks. Just your pure will to be the one that
gets to the top.

With that said, it’s strange no one’s ever tried to

leave. Or why no one’s tried to work together
and, say, invade the Penthouse, sabotage the
antenna, even destroy the tower. The viewers
would love that: the boldness! The action! Just
picture the competitors teaming up with staff
or the previous winners to defeat the Producer
and their crew. Hah! Can you even imagine?
Now, that would be a twist! Of course, the
game-runners would send mercenaries to kill
everyone before they found a way to leave the
island, but the ratings would soar! No one would
see it coming. That’d be a Showdown worth the
viewers’ money.

127
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LAYO 128
 MANY THANKS TO ALL THE
KICKSTARTER BACKERS! ESPECIALLY…

Amaranth M
Brandon Blackburn
Bri and Mitchell
George Wilson, Gone too soon
Jack Blacklaws
Jacob Newton
Maddie Townsend
Max Meinhold
Phillip A
Ryan R
Sam Ellis
Stillfleet Studio
Sydney Stardust
Tony From Plus One
Zee Howey
Zipp!

129
130
SHINJI MIMURA:
HOW WERE WE CHOSEN?
TEACHER KITANO:
BY IMPARTIAL LOTTERY.
MIMURA:
ONE MORE.
KITANO:
SURE.
MIMURA:
WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?
KITANO:
IT'S YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT. YOU
GUYS MOCK GROWN-UPS. GO
AHEAD AND MOCK US, BUT DON'T
YOU FORGET: LIFE IS A GAME, SO
FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL AND FIND
OUT IF YOU'RE WORTH IT.
BATTLE ROYALE (2000)

Death Game is created by Laurie O'Connel

and published by Twelve Pins Press. Find us at
twelvepinspress.com for other weirdly specific
and human-made RPGs.